Handle



Sept. 2, 1941.

G. H. WHEARY, JR HANDLE Filed Sept. 27, 1940 chum 1f i m d' V F. U\& a w M a m M Patented Sept. 2, 1941 HANDLE poration of Wisconsin Application September 27, 1940, Serial No. 358,687

4 Claims. (01. 16-126) *7 support is flat and substantially perpendicular to This invention relates to handles and refers particularly to handles for hand luggage.

It is an object of this invention to provide an exceptionally neat and trim handle suitable for use with hand luggage of modern so-called streamlined design.

Another object ofthis invention is to provide a handle of the character described which is biased to a position fiat against the wall of the luggage upon which it is mounted so as to be protected by its supports from contact with adjacent objects and to also insure a minimum projection from the wall of the luggage upon which the handle is mounted.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment'of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View showing part of a hand luggage case equipped with a handle embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating one end portion of the handle, with the parts thereof separated but arranged in their proper order of assembly; and

Figure 3 is a side view of one end of handle with the parts thereof assembled and the support shown in section.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 5 designates the main or body section of a piece of hand luggage which as is customary has a cover 6 hinged thereto. That wall of the main section which is uppermost in the carrying position of the luggage so that it may be designated the top wall I, has the handle indicated generally by the numeral 8 mounted thereon.

The handle comprises a grip 9 and a pair of supports ID by which thegrip is attached to the wall I. The two supports are preferably identical, and for the sake of appearance have a neat generally tear-drop shaped formation.

The bottom I i of each support is flat or shaped to conform to the wall 1 of the luggage upon which it is mounted, and one end wall l2 of each the bottom. The. supports ii] are preferably formed as die castings and have tapped holes i3 projecting up from their bottoms. l l'to receive .screWs (not shown) by which thesupportsare secured to the wall of the luggage with their flat end Walls IZ'facing each other. 4,.

A cavity l4 opens to the bottom of each .support to give the same a substantially hollow formation, and the inner portion 'ortopof the cavity is stepped so that two spaced walls i5 and, it are provided. These walls are parallelto each other and to the fiat endwall l2.

Each support has-a socket in its portion opening to the flat end wall I2. Thi socket is fgrmed by an outer large diameter bore i 1. and an axially aligned inner smaller diameter bore 18. :The large diameter bore 11 passes throughthat portion of the support lying between theIend ;wall l2 and the inner wall 16 while the small diameter bore 18 opens to the Wall l5.l In theproper position 'of the twosupports on "the luggage wall I the axes of their sockets are coaxial. Hence, axially aligned trunnions Iiiprojecting from the opposite ends of the handle grip and received in the sockets are freely rotatable therein. Each trunnion has an inner large diameter portion 20 journalled in the bore I! of its socket and an outer small diameter portion 2! journalled in the smaller bore I8.

A flange 22 at the juncture of each trunnion with the grip limits the endwise motion of the trunnion into its respective socket and protects the grip, which is preferably covered with leather or other fabric from contact with the supports.

The large diameter portions of the trunnions are preferably of the same length as the bores IT in which they are received so that the trunnion portion inwardly from the wall 16 is of the same diameter. Encircling this inner small diameter portion of at leastone of the trunnions is a torsion spring 23. One end 24 of the spring projects into a longitudinal notch 25 formed in the large diameter trunnion portion 2!] and opening to the shoulderformed by the juncture of the two trunnion portions, while the other end 25 of the spring projects into an anchor hole 2'! openposition to which the handle grip is biased is such that the supports l provide protection therefor as they extend at least to the plane of the outer-.

1. A handle of the character described comprising: a pair of substantially hollow supports secured to a wall, each ofsaid supports having a socket consisting of endwise spaced inner and outer bores, the inner bore being of smaller diameter than the outer bore and the outer bore constituting the mouth of the socket, the axes of the sockets of the two supports being coaxial; a grip between the two supports; axially aligned trunnions projecting from the ends of the grip and received in'the sockets, said trunnions having large and small diameter portions to fit the outer and inner bores of the sockets respectively,

the large diameter portion of one of said trunnions having a notch opening to the juncture between the large and small diameter portions of the trunnion, the wall of the support adjacent to the mouth of its small-diameter bore having" an anchor hole; and a torsion spring coiled about the small diameter portion of the trunnion and having its ends projected therefrom and received in said notch and anchorholeto thereby impart a torsional'force on the trunnion toyieldingly urge-the grip toward a predetermined position with respect to the 'wall on which the handle is mounted. I e

2 A handle of the character described comprising: two spaced supports; a grip between the supports; means hingedly connecting the ends of the grip with the supports including a trurmion projecting from one end jofthe grip and a socket in the adjacentsupport receiving said trunnion, said socket comprising endwise spaced inner and outer bores, the inner bore being smaller in diameter than the outer bore and the trunnion having correspondingly dimensioned portions journalled in said bores; and a torsion spring encircling the trunnion between the endwise spaced bores of the socket with one end anchored to the trunnion and the other end anchored to the support so asto yieldingly urge the grip to a predetermined position. a

3. A handle of the character described comprising: two spaced supports; a grip between the supports; means hingedly connecting the ends of the grip with the supports including a trunnion projecting from each end of the grip and a socket in the adjacent support receiving said trunnions, the socket of one of the supports comprising endwise spaced inner and outer bores;

and a torsion spring encircling the trunnion in said socket between the endwise spaced bores thereof, said torsion spring having one end thereof anchored to the support and its other end projecting intothe outer socket bore and received in a notch formed in the periphery of the trunnion whereby said other end of the spring is drivingly connected with the trunnion, said torsion spring yieldingly urging the grip to a predetermined position with respect to the supports.

4. A handle of the character described comprising: two spaced hollow supports, each having 7 a socket consisting of a bore opening to the exterior of the support, said bores facing each other and being coaxial; a grip between the two supports; axially aligned trunnions projecting from the ends of the grip and rotatably received in the sockets of the adjacent supports, one of said trunnions projecting into the hollow interior of its support and having a notch formed in its periphery partly inside the socket bore and opening to the hollow interior of the support; and a torsion spring encircling said trunnion inside the hollow support'having one end anchored to the supportand its other end projecting into said notch and entering the socket bore to be retained in said-notch by the wall of the bore, said torsion spring yieldingly urging the grip to a predetermined position with respect tothe supports.

- GEORGE H. WHEARY, JR. 

